Mortalidade por causas externas no Brasil: série temporal de 2000 a 2020

Abstract

Mortality is one of the main health indicators in the world. In Brazil, external causes are among the leading causes of mortality, as well as being responsible for a large proportion of hospital admissions. In 2019, Brazil was the country with the 2nd highest number of deaths from injuries in the world. During the same year, the country ranked 1st in the Central and South American region. They occupy 3rd place in the ranking of Brazilian deaths, in 2020 alone they were responsible for more than 146,000 deaths, even though they are tabulated in the list of preventable causes. This study aimed to evaluate mortality from external causes in Brazil, considering a historical series from 2000 to 2020. This is an ecological study with a quantitative approach, using data on the number of deaths from external causes in Brazil between 2000 and 2020. Data was collected from the Information Systems of the Unified Health System, concentrated in the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System, using the filters of deaths from external causes by dependent variable and year, schooling, race, age group, place of occurrence, marital status, and category as independent variables. Data was collected from September to October 2022. Joinpoint software, Power BI software and the Python programming language were used. The results showed an upward trend in mortality from external causes in Brazil and the regions in the early years, and a downward trend in the later years of the study. In addition, most deaths were concentrated in the male population, aged 20 to 29, with 4 to 7 years of schooling. The Southeast region shows a difference when compared to Brazil and the other regions, demonstrating that even though it is a common and worrying cause of mortality, there are differences between the regions, both in terms of numbers and causality. At the same time that some groups show a significant increase in the number of deaths, others show a decline, so there is a change in the behavior of the total number of deaths from external causes throughout the country, as well as in the regions. In addition, most deaths from external causes occurred in the male population, in people aged between 20 and 29, brown and single. Among the main deaths are assault by gunshot or other firearm or unspecified, motor vehicle and non-motor vehicle accidents and other types of unspecified vehicles, assault by sharp or penetrating object and intentional self-harm. About the most prevalent cause, i.e. aggression caused by the discharge of another firearm or weapon, 712,475 deaths were recorded, of which the highest number was in 2013, corresponding to a rate of 51 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. In view of this, it is necessary to evaluate the application of protective public policies, as well as socio-educational measures and laws that deal with this issue, to meet the sensitive conditions of prevention, contributing to a reduction in mortality rates from external causes.